Drake sits down with Billboard

Drizzy Drake recently sat down with Billboard and discussed how his career is going. Read the interview below and see what he says about the Grammies, and also learn some songs on his upcoming album.

Drake isn’t a singer-and he’s the first to admit it. When he released his highly touted 2009 mixtape “So Far Gone,” which finds the Toronto-raised artist singing and rapping, he thought he made a huge mistake. “People were like, ‘What is this? There’s way too much singing on here,’ ” he says. “We were really nervous about it and for like a week I was having a serious breakdown.”

But a month later, Drake, born Aubrey Graham, realized there was a method to the madness. “Within like four weeks I noticed I had a brand-new sound that takes a while to digest and understand. Things started to pick up and I started to learn the value of taking risks,” he says.

Now, the venture is paying off. Last month when the Grammy nominations were announced, Drake learned he was up for best rap solo performance and best rap song for “Best I Ever Had” off “So Far Gone.”

“I can’t say this is unexpected, because, I mean, it’s something that’s kept me up many nights,” the 23-year-old says. “I dreamed about this for a lot of years and have lost lots of sleep over it. This is like the highest honor and I am humbled by this. It’s one of the few awards that isn’t a popularity contest; you have to make great music to be honored, and this is completely surreal to me.”

It’s an honor, however, that has an unintended side effect. With the two nominations that stemmed from his mixtape, that puts Drake out of the running for best new artist in 2010, when his debut album is released.

Lady Gaga experienced a similar technicality in 2009, as she was ineligible for best new artist since her track “Just Dance” was nominated for best dance recording the previous year. The best new artist rules say the nominated performer is eligible for “the first recording which establishes public identity,” and a prior nomination indicates that this threshold has already been reached.

But that may be just a tiny regret for Drake, who is set up to receive tremendous exposure for his forthcoming set. Drake, who got signed to Universal Motown through mentor Lil Wayne’s Young Money label shortly after the release of “So Far Gone,” is prepping “Thank Me Later,” slated for a February March release. “The best part about ‘So Far Gone’ was that I didn’t focus on structure. The only thing that was consistent was the story and the emotion. That’s what I want to do with this album,” Drake says. “I make music for people to get lost in it, so, as long as it takes you somewhere, then I’ve succeeded.”

So far, the album features Kanye West, Wayne, Young Jeezy and Jay-Z, and a collaboration with Sade is on Drake’s wish list. “Something happened last night too that might be great-it might serve as the legendary sprinkle for the album,” Drake says about another potential partnership on the set. “Shut It Down” and “Fireworks” are two tracks slated to make the album’s final cut.

“In 2010 I’m really hoping I can stay true to this new way of life I’ve committed myself to,” he says. “I have a special plan to keep the free flow of music going after the album is released. This is definitely a unique path I’m setting out on, and honestly, it’s great. I’m honored to be in this position.“

www.youtube.com/watch?v=abFL2oDyYa8

“There have been questions posed to me the last few days about the writing of ‘Best I Ever Had’ and I figured I’d take the time to clear the air directly,” he wrote Thursday (September 17) night. “I have never met Kia Shine or worked with him. I wrote the entire composition in Toronto and I borrowed one line from a Lil Wayne song that he produced the BEAT for. The claims of 25% ownership are false and for a artist to brag about splits on a song is distasteful to begin with.”

(October’s Very Own)

Writing via Twitter, Shine initially posted images of himself being awarded with Billboard plaques in recognition of the song.

maan i am not a hater, if someone is blessed with something i commed them and encourage, not discourage,” he wrote earlier this week. “for all the nob believers here is the pic taken from Sept.10th’s Bm1 awards in NY where I won 3 awards for my publishing share of ‘BEST I EVER HAD’…this message is for all the non-believers YES kia shine OWNS 25% OF THE DRAKE SONG ‘THE BEST I EVER HAD’ 3 BMI AWARDS FOR THE SONG GOING #1 ON 3 BILLBOARD CHARTS. GO BUY HIS EP TODAY! MY FAMILY APPRECIATES IT! … its all there! can’t make sh*t like this up

Drake holding So Far Gone & Man On The Moon

Writing via his Twitter page, Drake posted an image of himself holding both Cudi’s Man On The Moon and his new retail re-release, So Far Gone.

“We are rarely proud when we are alone,” Drizzy wrote. “But to have another artist who pushes me and inspires me is a blessing. @kidcudi Mazel Tov!”

Drizzy previously name dropped Cudi as one of his fellow up-and-coming emcees entering the rap game.

“I been doin’ this since I was about 13,” he said in an interview over the summer. ‘Degrassi’ is bigger than what I’m doing right now, it really is. It’s bigger than any Drake, Cudi, Wale, you know, up-and-coming rap sh*t. Like I was doing mall tours with 15,000 people…I was signing autographs for three, four hours.”

How does it feel to have the best mixtape out?

At the same time, you don’t really know your skills until people recognize them. Were you surprised by the response, and have you ever doubted your talent?

So Far Gone Front Cover

Drizzy Drake’s new mixtape called So Far Gone is now available to download. This is a very popular mixtape, and fortunately literally thousands of people are seeing how talented our boy Jimmy Valentino is. If you want the new mixtape you can download it HERE.